Homes sometimes develop problems with their foundations. If a property doesn't have the right support, then it loses some stability. It might start to shift if it doesn't have a solid foundation to stand on, and you might need to underpin your home to make it sound again.

Before you do this, it's worth finding out the cause of the problem. This tells you if you need to do any extra remedial work before the underpinning process. Why do some properties need to be underpinned?

1. Soil Problems

The ground under your home plays an important part in its stability. Even if you install a concrete foundation slab, this slab can only do its job if it gets sufficient support from the soil underneath it.

Sometimes, houses have movement problems because of changes to the earth underneath them. If the consistency of the soil changes, then it might lose some of its supportive properties. For example, the soil under your home will change consistency if you have a hidden underground plumbing leak that has been going on for a long time. The leak will make the soil wetter than usual.

So, the soil might expand as it comes into contact with water. It might clump up. These changes can affect your foundations. They might heave up or sink down. Here, you would need to fix the leak before you underpin your home to make it stable again.

2. Construction Work

Sometimes, a property can move because of major construction work close to home. For example, if one of your neighbours is adding a large extension, and their builders don't take sufficient care during the job, then the soil under your home might be affected.

They might excavate some soil close to your home that is actually part of your foundational support. If you lose this soil, then your home doesn't have a stable base.

In some cases, you need to underpin your home because of the work you want to do. If you want to add another storey to your home, then you might need to underpin your foundations to take the extra weight. If they were built to support a one-storey build, then they might not be strong enough to hold steady after this kind of renovation work.

3. Weather Damage

Some homeowners have to underpin their homes after a significant weather event. For example, an earthquake can make a property move and damage its foundations. Floods and droughts can change the consistency of the soil enough to make it unstable. Here, underpinning sets the property back in place and ensures that it has adequate support.

To find out more about underpinning techniques and which one is a good solution for your problem, contact local underpinning services. 

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